42 Ways in Which Google Gives You the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything

Carr’s article indicates that the internet has changed the way in which we read, think, and speak. That is, “It’s becoming our map and our clock, our printing press and our typewriter, our calculator and our telephone, and our radio and TV.” It has taught us to value efficiency over, say a close-reading of a novel. It has become a medium through which problems are easily solved through the click of a button. It has made us more “machine” than human. It has made us, in Socrates’ words, “receive a quantity of information without proper instruction”. And that is a great quantity that questions quality. Indeed, the internet — Google, in particular — has become so integrated in our lives that it is now a worry to some.

Yet, also in Carr’s words, “The human brain is almost infinitely malleable.” Can this infinite malleability not be seen as a good thing? To change the way in which we think as time passes and we gain more knowledge? — Instead of getting tied up in traditional ways that may be outdated in the social realm? Are we not getting smarter as an outcome of evolutionary pressures?

While we jump from link to link to search for information, we are not mindless in the task; we are formulating effective search queries, communicating with others through popular questions and phrases so that the algorithm could make them appear on the first results page, sharing new ways in which to think about classic novels, and creating connections between different ideas as a result of being exposed to more readily available material.

Yes, artificial intelligence can be scary, as Carr has put it. However, it nonetheless offers us infinite possibilities; some of which have already been described in the previous paragraphs. I now present to you what you’ve all been waiting for — 42 Ways in Which Google Gives You the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything:

It finds locations/destinations

It converts time zones for you

It organizes/tells you your schedule

It provides the latest news

It calculates math problems

It finds telephone numbers

It lets you watch videos anytime, anywhere

It answers widely asked questions

It helps you think more efficiently

It helps you think more broadly

It connects you with others

It connects you to different ideas

It’s an archive of internet history

It finds specific images

It allows you to make calls

It tells you the weather

It lets you collaborate with others

It lists movies from which to choose

It gives you reminders

It helps you navigate

It provides an email service

It sources quotes from books

It sources quotes from movies

It finds songs by your favourite bands

It finds books by your favourite author

It tells you the distance between point A and B

It introduces you to different recipes

It shows relevant advertisements

It gives you gift ideas

It translates different languages

It gives you restaurant/hotel recommendations

It tells you the calories in food and drink

It times you/acts as a stopwatch

It helps you find the newest games

It converts currency

It checks your flight status

It tells you when your favourite show is on

It tells you movie release dates

It provides you information on companies/organizations

It curates (fan)clubs

It converts measurements for you

It checks your flight status

This list is not exhaustive. What are other ways in which you can use the internet/Google?